In this week's New Statesman: Afghanistan

The unwinnable war. Next Labour leader. Why the US right hates Haiti

In this week's issue of the New Statesman, we look ahead to the London summit on Afghanistan and explain why the war remains unwinnable. Rodric Braithwaite, our man in Moscow during the Soviet invasion, offers the long view. And the Foreign Secretary, David Miliband, sets out his hopes for the summit.

Elsewhere, we poll the great and the good of the left and ask: who should be Labour's next leader? Melvyn Bragg, Roy Hattersley, David Marquand, Clare Short, Billy Bragg, Charlie Whelan and others give their verdict.